Tomorrow Night: The Paper Chase at Walter's on Washington

Much like their associates in Houston's own Bring Back the Guns, the Paper Chase (a.k.a. the pAper chAse) combine the infectious weirdness of the Pixies with the wry self-consciousness of the Dismemberment Plan and the menace of Drive Like Jehu. The Dallas quartet is led by acclaimed independent producer John Congleton - among his clients is Explosions in the Sky, who selected PC to perform at All Tomorrow's Parties UK earlier this year - and they make producer's records.

If J. Robbins records himself as a portraitist, and John Vanderslice a sentimental expressionist, Congleton is a demented bricoleur: the Paper Chase records heavily augment the band's wiry rock with sound effects, samples, piano and strings in unusual and sometimes incongruous ways that demonstrate Congleton's intrusive and unsettling sense of fun.

"Said the Spider to the Fly"

Live, the Paper Chase is tight, kinetic and aggressive in the tradition of hardcore-influenced indie rock. The band hasn't released anything since 2006's Now You Are One of Us, but an EP and two-part concept album (!) are scheduled for 2009. Seattle one-man project Astronautalis is the Paper Chase's support for this brief Texas tour; his music is a gloomy and, frankly, pretty odd portmanteau of experimental hip-hop and indie rock. Local trio Tambersauro's uncompromising math-rock opens the show.